That's the end of Thursday's updates.

We'll be back with more news, sport, travel and weather from across the West Midlands at 08:00 on Friday.

BBC Sport

The FA has confirmed the postponed 2021 Women's FA Cup will resume.

The competition had to be halted in January at the start of England's third coronavirus lockdown.

Image source, Getty Images

Clubs from the Women's Super League (WSL) and Women's Championship enter in the fourth round.

Holders Manchester City will host fellow WSL side Aston Villa on Sunday, 18 April.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Council tax bills in Wolverhampton will go up almost 5% from April, the city authority officially ruled on Wednesday night.

Image source, Google

A meeting of full council, held to set the budget for 2021-22, saw members vote in favour of the proposed 4.99% increase, despite an amendment put forward by the Conservative opposition for a reduced 3.99% rise.

Leader of the opposition Wendy Thomson said: "We realise that many families are experiencing difficult times and therefore want to be as helpful as possible."

Wolverhampton’s overall budget for the coming year has been slashed by just over £15m to £225m to fund general services.

The council's deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, Labour's Louise Miles, said: "We’ve been able to set a balanced budget for the next financial year without the need to make significant cuts to services."

Driver Lee Smythe was jailed after the dramatic pursuit in Birmingham.

Express and Star

From the Express and Star today:

• Dramatic footage shows Porsche 911 GTS thief tasered at wheel and dragged from car, external
• More than £8,000 raised for the Beacon Centre in memory of Doris Hobday, external
• Man stabbed during disorder in Bloxwich, external

Natalie Queiroz remembers being stabbed five years ago and the moment she feared for her baby's life.

Natalie Queiroz recalls her partner's attack five years ago in which her unborn child was feared dead.

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC Radio WM

One of Birmingham's biggest mosques says it's hoping to have a new vaccination site on its premises in the coming days.

Green Lane Masjid in Small Heath says the move is part of its duty to save lives and it wants to make the idea of getting the vaccine less daunting for people.

There have been concerns that people in the Muslim community could be refusing the jab because they're worried their second jab will fall during Ramadan when they're fasting.

Saleem Ahmed, head of welfare at the mosque, said they had reassured people and it was important to keep encouraging people to get vaccinated.

"It's part of our religion to be fact-based and seek knowledge from the experts.. so we've got medical professionals, we've got the experts there who are telling us that the vaccine is safe and we're willing to trust them if it means saving lives," Mr Ahmed said.

The community had listened on the whole, he added, but admitted there had been a low uptake within the older members of the community, especially in Small Heath.

He said the mosque's support of the vaccine drive showed people it was safe and they should have the jab.

The mosque hopes to get the green light next week to offer vaccines between March and August.

Tributes have been paid to a former councillor and mayor.

Ken Stokes served as a Wyre Forest District Council councillor for 15 years and served as mayor from 2002 to 2003.

He set up the Kidderminster War Memorials Conservation Trust to repair, maintain and restore war memorials in the town.

He died on Monday.

Image source, Wyre Forest District Council

Chairman of Wyre Forest District Council, Councillor Shazu Miah said: “It is with great sadness that we learned of Ken Stokes’ passing.

"He lived in Broadwaters for more than 50 years and dedicated his time to improving the lives of everyone in the community."

BBC Radio WM

West Bromwich Albion will aim to extend their unbeaten run to four games in the Premier League this evening.

Following two draws and a victory, the Baggies face Everton at The Hawthorns in a match that will be live on BBC Radio WM from 18:00 GMT.

Albion are currently nine points adrift of safety and boss Sam Allardyce, who will have Robert Snodgrass back in his squad after injury, has also got one eye on Sunday lunchtime's game with 17th-place Newcastle United.

BBC Weather Watchers

It might be a pretty drab day, but that's not stopped spring from trying to show us its signs.

BBC Weather Watchers have sent in the following pics: A lamb in a field in Stafford; some daffodils in Wolverhampton; and some cherry blossom in Warwickshire.

Send us your photos here.

Image source, Z70

Image source, Les at Large

Image source, SteveC

A man has been found dead following a fire at a property in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service was called, external to Gordon Street at 05:05 this morning.

Image source, Google

Crews extinguished the fire and a man in his 80s was pronounced dead at the scene, the service said.

An investigation is under way.

A man was stabbed during disorder in Walsall last night, police say.

A large number of people gathered on Sneyd Lane and Chepstow Road at about 19:00, according to the West Midlands force.

A 20-year-old man was dropped off at hospital shortly after with serious injuries, where he remains in a stable condition.

Stones were also thrown at a white Audi after it struck a person, the force added.

It is asking for any witnesses to come forward.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Doctors were "disappointed" that during the first month of the coronavirus vaccination programme, their practices received "a lot" of information second-hand from the media and politicians' online posts, a report says.

Image source, PA Media

The Telford and Wrekin Practice Forum heard NHS commissioners were also "extremely frustrated" at central government’s "tight control" of information, not allowing local NHS bodies to publish their own statistics or plans.

Forum chairman Ian Chan’s report on the meeting, which took place on 19 January, will be discussed by the Clinical Commissioning Group's governing body next week.

NHS England now publishes a weekly breakdown of first and second dose numbers by CCG area. The most recent figures show 48,940 vaccination jabs have been given in Telford and Wrekin and 110,627 in Shropshire.

Tony Green is set to face trial over the death of Shkelzen Taka following a Boxing Day crash.

Listen to local BBC radio commentary of Bath v Exeter, Wasps v Gloucester, Worcester v Bristol & Coventry v Bedford.

Rob Mayor
Political reporter, BBC Radio WM

A taskforce to work on new methods of constructing homes in the UK will be based in Wolverhampton, the chancellor has announced.

The 'Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Taskforce' will get £10m to carry out the work.

Image source, PA Media

Wolverhampton is becoming a construction hub, with a national brownfield institute also on it's way.

The taskforce will consist of world-leading experts from across government and industry to fast-track the adoption of modern methods of construction.

Worcester News

From the Worcester News:

• CCTV appeal after purse is taken in Worcester, external
• Shop owners claim discrimination 'for being Christian newsagent', external
• 27 people arrested as drugs and weapons seized in crackdown across West Mercia, external

BBC Weather Watchers

We're forecast an overcast day, with the possibility of some showers.

The BBC Weather Watchers have been sharing photos this morning, reflecting those conditions.

These pictures were taken in Leek, Lyonshall and Rushbury.

Image source, Videoman

Image source, OldStation

Image source, Peter Steggles

Coventry City are close to finalising a deal to return to the Ricoh Arena next season, BBC CWR reports.